Overall, I've heard excellent things from this beer and haven't been fortunate to come across it until this year, but boy am I glad I did! I was not anticipating such a heavy hand of hops but the hop bitterness does not overpower the beer and it is certainly deserving of the hype. CW's barrel aged series is superb, other breweries, take note!

L: Translucent orange mahogany color. Some tiny bubbles formed after pouring, quickly dissipated to no head
S: Sweet caramel licorice aroma
T: Some nice Bourbon heat plus I'm tasting sticky hops; not sweet at all
F: sticky, resiny
O: pretty darn tasty, warming up nicely. I'm going to sit on the next bottle to see if the bourbon mellows out a bit.

Pours dark ruby red with minimal head. Great lacing throughout.
Smells very bourbon forward. Lots of oak with toffee and fig.
Tastes very well balanced between bourbon character and barleywine. I get lots of butterscotch candy and darkfruit with some bourbon. Finishes slightly dry leaving you wanting another drink.
Mouthfeel is medium doesn't really cost the mouth but does fill it with flavor.
Overall definitely pick this up. I don't feel it can be beat as a barrel aged barleywine at $14 a 4 pack.

2016 Vintage Bottle: Pours blood red to brown color with a huge thick foamy 2 finger head that was full of tiny bubbles and dissipated very slowly, leaving outstanding foamy lacing rings as it went down, allowing the thick lacing to cling to the sides and coat the glass. A great looking pour for a barleywine.

Smells of caramel, toffee, maple syrup, tobacco, brown sugar, port wine, oak barrels, fruity candy, orange peel, pear, vanilla, candied sugar, light bourbon, sweet malt and a very dynamic array of sweetness combined with barrel influences which are hard to pin down, and then wet tobacco and leather. The nose is spectacular in its complexities while letting some booze sneak through and play a nice part of the experience. Seems like some citrus hops pop up now and again, almost like the hops add balance and play the part of the malt in an IPA. The aroma is outstanding and the best part of this wonderful brew.

Tastes similar to the nose with bourbon and sweet malt leading the way, followed by a wave of sweetness including toffee, caramel, brown sugar, oak barrels, merlot, fruity candy, rum or booze soaked caramel malts, dark fruits, tobacco, vanilla and a bunch of rotting fruit like plum, raisin, cherry, brown pear, fig, and then some sherry or port wine. The alcohol is minor, maple syrup is a constant throughout and there is some hoppy citrus bitterness, but the brew just evolves and gets better and better as it warms. The sweet complexities are bordering on sensory overload as the beer moves from sweet to oaky to boozy to malty, seemingly from sip to sip.

Mouthfeel is very creamy, buttery and slick, with very mellow carbonation, a medium, chewy body, a slight bitterness, a mild alcohol burn and then a finish that is sweet, malty and a mix of bourbon, oak, peat moss and dark fruit that is starting to rot. Chewy like a soup, the sweetness is not cloying as the barrel aging adds so much flavor that it hits your senses with vanilla, oak, dry grass, grapefruit and toffee or syrup. Confusing in a very good and enjoyable way.

This is one of the most delicious barleywines I've ever had, I'm pretty sure the best American Barleywine to date. It's easier to drink than it should be at 11.5% ABV able and less syrupy than most. Rich, malty and full of flavor, this gets better as it warms and will certainly age well. I look forward to having an aged bottle.

3/26/16: Had a second bottle from the 4 pack and it was just as good in every way. Can't wait to try one aged with 6 months on it, which hopefully will make it better.

T- spicy bourbon immediately hits up front with plenty of barrel character adding flavors of caramel, butterscotch, toasted coconut & vanilla. The finish brings sweetness of fig & date, with a linger of more bourbon and caramel

M- medium body with low carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns into a creamy finish with some alcohol heat on the linger

O- plenty of barrel character compliments the base beer well, this should only get better with age, as the bourbon heat dies down a bit

Reddish, amber in color with excellent clarity. The head is light tan with great retention and lacing. The nose is delightful - bourbon, dark fruit, oak, molasses. And the flavors follow exactly, with caramel and toffee on the aftertaste as well. Really complex and enjoyable. The body is full with low-moderate carbonation. A slightly bitter finish, well balanced. This is a superb BA barleywine!

Pours a deep red-amber in color, partly turbid. A frothy, two-fingered meringue-like darker tan head tops this one and leaves a moderate amount of lace as it falls.

HUGE barrel on the nose, along with sherry-like notes and a touch of oxidation. Rich and boozy... pretty much what I was expecting (average) of the barrel treatment. Notes of coconut and rum, raisin...

Lightly sweet, tangy, bitter, and boozy on the first sip. High ferment and a tingling from the oozy heat. Mouthfeel is light ("thin") but this one really coats the mouth, tongue, and palate. Dried dark skinned fruit notes make a nice counterpart to the residual tannins from the barrel.

Finish is not dry, but the higher alcohol content renders it as a lighter finish, at least (it is very much like a spirit in the way that it finishes on the palate).

Rich malt and barrel character, and a lively interplay all around. Dried cherry and (very light) anise are the two fruit/vegetable/her notes that I pick out the most, along with some very light mint.

A very good "BA" (barrel aged) ale, and for what it is I'm sure it's hitting all of the right note. Likewise, for such a potent brew it is amazingly, dangerously drinkable!

It's definitely worth trying this one fresh, and I'd also recommend laying down a bottle (or three) to enjoy in years to come. This was the 2015 batch -- already a year old!

This beer is wonderful, but would be amazing with 2+ years of aging to settle down the hot alcohol. Smell is toffee and amaretto. Taste is vanilla ice cream, malt, toffee and burnt sugar. Blows Sucaba out of the water.

Moderately dark brown/ruby color. Lightly carbonated. 1/2 inch tan bubbly creamy head that recedes slowly leaving thick lacing. Sweet whiskey aroma with hints of chocolate. Initial taste matches the aroma: sweet and bourbon. Thick and creamy mouth feel. The alcohol is detectable but not overbearing. Smooth taste with whiskey dominating, transitioning to some bittering in the finish. The aftertaste is moderately bitter bourbon that hangs around just the right amount of time. Excellent. Well done, CW.

A - Pours a clear reddish brown with a small head.
S - Aroma is sweet and boozy.
T - Flavor is a sweet caramel quickly overtaken by bourbon.
M - Medium mouth feel and low carbonation.
O - I would say this is a bit hot and will likely benefit from some time in the cellar.

Caramel in color, fading head, minimal lacing. Smell is delicious caramel treats, real smooth and subtle with some vanilla mixed in. Taste is lots of oak and booze, very hot. Sticky mouthfeel. Not bad but I bet some time would do this beer wonders

2010 was unlike any other barleywine I have had. The flavors were muted, a touch of heat, very smooth, and tasted almost like sipping on a bourbon. 2011 had a bigger flavor punch but again was very smooth. The aging really mellowed out both beers.

Aromas of burnt sugar, molasses, with slight hints of bourbon. Has a hot alcohol smell. Initial taste is sweet and raisiny with an oak aftertaste. Very complex. Medium bodied beer that gets better as you drink it. Definitely a beer for a cold day as it will warm you up in a hurry! Hard to drink a full pint.

Pours hazy, orange-brown, with 1/3 inch head. Taste is pine, toffee, alcohol, tangerine, wood, and light vanilla. The wood adds a dryness to the beer that plays well off of the sweetness of the base beer. Really tasty beer that I will look to get again.

I tend to avoid barleywines. Just not a style I favor. Ordered by a friend on tap, he hated the barrel additives. For me, that is what turned this into a winner. Lots of bourbon flavor throughout, and of course the warming abv burn. All kinds of sweet of course, but the barrel has mellowed that harsh barleywine twang for me. Loved this one

poured from bottle into tulip. pours a cloudy reddish brown. small light khaki colored head. dissipates into a thin ring. smells boozy, with vanilla and toffee. big vanilla flavor, along with dates and toffee and vanilla. perfect carbonation. very good. i wish i had more.

Pours a deep, rich amber color with a short khaki head with minimal retention but with a few spots of lacing. The nose and taste are similar and feature massive sweet toasted grain, caramel, toffee and warm boozy bourbon and finishes with pleasant hoppy notes. It is big, round and creamy on the palate. Overall, thuis was a very well balanced BBA barlywine!